Capped Price Servicing

BMW buyers don't have the option of a capped-price servicing plan, but the company does offer owners a different way of ensuring the costs are kept under control when it comes to maintenance.

Nissan offers a capped-price servicing program for all of its current models.According to the Japanese brand, as of January 1, 2025, Nissan Flat Price Service gives you the confidence of knowing that your vehicle is being serviced by "Nissan-trained technicians using only Nissan Genuine Parts".Nissan's capped-price servicing program covers its new vehicles for a total of five years, no matter if it's a Juke small SUV, Navara ute or V8 petrol Patrol 4WD. The costs change depending on the model, with electric vehicles typically the most affordable to own and run.The service intervals are dictated by model, too. The worst Nissans to own from a maintenance perspective are the Z sports car and Qashqai e-Power, X-Trail, Pathfinder and Patrol SUVs, with servicing needed every 12 months or 10,000km. The best are the Juke, Leaf EV and Navara, with maintenance every 12 months or 20,000km - very tradie-friendly, then. Check out the table below for your model's specific service intervals.Nissan is leading from the front, offering a 10-year/300,000-kilometre warranty. MG and Mitsubishi also offer decade-long terms, with the latter's also conditional on the vehicle being serviced at an authorised dealership.Additionally, Nissan includes a one-year roadside assist plan at the time of purchase.See the table below for the average cost per service for each model in the Nissan range, plus the service intervals applicable to each of them.

GMSV (General Motors Specialty Vehicles) sells a limited selection of Chevrolet models in Australia - some converted to right-hand drive here in Australia, while the Corvette is imported in RHD configuration from the factory - and they have variable ownership terms, depending on the model.GMSV offers a three-year, 100,000km warranty, which would be significantly behind the pace for a mainstream manufacturer, but is unsurprising for a low-volume importer/converter, as GMSV’s main rival, Ram Trucks, offers a similar warranty promise.GMSV backs its products with three years of roadside assist to match the warranty period, but there is no capped-price servicing program.Instead, GMSV has offered indicative pricing for each of its three current models (two Silverado variants and the Corvette Stingray) over a three-year period, noting that it will vary between dealers. See the table below for expected average costs. Service pricing is comparatively high when compared to a mainstream automaker. Intervals occur in 12 monthly or 12,000km cycles for every current Chevrolet.In summary: Import and conversion outfits like GMSV don’t offer the most competitive ownership terms and high service pricing to support a limited range. Costs after the three-year mark are a mystery, leaving owners without a clear picture of what long-term ownership looks like. 4/10*taken as an average of indicative service costs from two dealersIf you want to find out more about a specific manufacturer's capped price servicing, please see below:

MG is now a major mainstream automaker in Australia and is taking the challenge to its more established rivals through very competitive warranty and servicing terms.MG offers seven years of capped-price servicing on its range, which now includes the MG3 light hatch, ZS and ZST small SUVs, and HS mid-size SUV to go with its existing seven-year and unlimited kilometre warranty.It also offers roadside assistance for the entire warranty period, provided the vehicle is serviced on time and with an MG dealer.However, for the electric ZS EV, which requires servicing half as often (once every 24 months or 40,000km), the schedule extends out to 280,000km or 14 years. The EV also scores a separate seven-year unlimited kilometre warranty for its high-voltage battery pack.Prices for the capped-price servicing program are mostly competitive, with particularly reasonable pricing for the ZS and MG3 range, however there are some surprises in the form of unusually high servicing costs for the ZS EV and a particularly expensive visit for all grades of the HS mid-sizer at the five-year/60,000km mark.In summary: MG has structured its ownership promise to compete with major rivals, offering a long warranty, included roadside assist, and competitive capped-price servicing. Make sure to check the full schedule at MG’s website to avoid surprises, however, as prices can vary significantly between models and individual intervals. 8/10If you want to find out more about a specific manufacturer's capped price servicing, please see below:

Mini does not offer a schedule of capped-price servicing in the traditional sense, but covers its entire range with two tiers of simple cover packages for the first five years of ownership.Like its BMW parent company, Mini has now moved to a five-year and unlimited kilometre warranty from its previous three-year promise, and includes roadside assistance for the first three years for its mainline combustion range.Mini electric vehicles have a separate eight-year/100,000km warranty and matching roadside assist plan for the high-voltage battery, while plug-in hybrids have a six-year/100,000km warranty for their high-voltage battery as well as a matching roadside assist program.All current combustion Mini vehicles, which includes the three- and five-door versions of the Cooper hatch, the Countryman SUV, and Clubman wagon, can be covered by the ‘Mini Service Inclusive’ package which costs $2020 regardless of model and covers the first five years or 80,000km of servicing.The same coverage lasts up to six years for the Cooper SE electric hatch, costing just $1450 for the entire period.Like BMW, Minis have computer-calculated condition-based service intervals, so the number of visits in that period will be determined by the car.The basic package covers oil and filter changes, vehicle checks, as well as brake fluid and spark plug replacements where required.The 'plus' cover package which is less transparent on price, includes some expirable items that are not usually included in capped-price service programs like brake pads, wiper blades, and clutch discs and plates.Interestingly, the packs can also be purchased for used vehicles, with coverage starting from $3410 for a car with the standard engine option, or $3795 for a JCW package car, covering six years or 80,000km.The 'plus' cover is model and location dependent, so it is hard to determine how it compares to rivals, although Mini says the packs carry a 20 - 25 per cent discount compared to servicingn as-you-go.In summary: Mini’s service packs are a welcome peace of mind for buyers to match its now more competitive warranty terms. There is still a question mark over the total cost of ownership for vehicles on a pay-as-you-go scheme, obfuscated further by the condition-based service intervals, although points must also be awarded for the ability to buy service packs for used cars and the relative affordability of owning the electric Cooper. 7/10*Basic cover pack onlyIf you want to find out more about a specific manufacturer's capped price servicing, please see below:

Ram Trucks are imported as left-hand drive vehicles to Australia by Ateco (the same import group behind Renault and LDV) under the auspices of American Special Vehicles and are then converted to right-hand drive in Melbourne. The Ram Trucks brand does not currently offer a capped-price service program for any of its models, although indicative pricing can be found through the ‘book a service’ section of its website.Ram’s range of utes, which currently includes five variants of the 1500, or either a 2500 or 3500 Laramie Crew Cab, are all covered by a three-year/100,000km warranty in Australia, behind the more commonly accepted five-year and unlimited kilometre warranty offered by most manufacturers in the industry. On the upswing, the entire warranty period includes 24/7 roadside assistance.While there is no capped-price service program on any of the brand’s models, indicative pricing, which will vary by location, can be seen through the brand’s book-a-service feature.Servicing is not cheap. Using a Ram 1500 Laramie Crew Cab equipped with a 5.7-litre V8 engine based in Sydney as an example, service pricing ranges (at the time of publishing) from $508.97 to $1251.96 in the first five years per 12 monthly, 12,000km visit intervals. The most expensive service in the calculator is a whopping $4101.38 due at 10 years or 120,000km. The calculator reaches to 14 years or 168,000km.In summary: With a short limited warranty and no capped price service program, Ram owners are left without a clear picture of the total cost of ownership. The current indicative service pricing suggests it will be high. 4/10*Based on indicative pricing from the calculator for a vehicle located in Sydney and not including the six month/6,000km 'severe duty' service for vehicles which are frequently towing, used off-road, or for fleet duties.If you want to find out more about a specific manufacturer's capped price servicing, please see below:

Manufactured in China by the same company that builds MGs - SAIC Motor - the LDV brand is not factory-backed in Australia, but imported by distributor, Ateco Automotive.This means the commercial-focused LDV does not have uniform warranty and service terms with its passenger car sister brand, and currently the only vehicle in its catalog with a capped-price servicing program is the Deliver 9 large van.The Deliver 9 is covered by a three-year, 95,000km service schedule, covering the first four services. The first visit is due in just six months or 5000km, the second is due at 12, but the remaining two are due in yearly 30,000km intervals.Pricing isn’t as cheap as some rivals, but still in the realm of reality, with the average cost per visit for the manual coming it at $473.75, or $490.50 for the automatic.A capped-price program is not available on any of the brand’s other products, including its popular T60 ute, D90 SUV, Mifa people mover, or the G10 or V80 vans.Warranty is also not standardised across LDV’s line-up. The combustion versions of the T60 ute and Mifa people mover, for example, are covered by an impressive seven-year/200,000km warranty, while the electric versions, the eT60 and Mifa 9, are covered by a more standard five year/160,000km warranty. Confusingly, the D90 SUV is covered by a slightly different five year/130,000km warranty.Down the bottom of the pile are the brand’s commercial offerings, the G10, V80, and Deliver 9, which are only covered by a behind-the-pace three-year/160,000km warranty.In summary: LDV’s lack of transparency around its service pricing and inconsistent warranty terms make it frustrating to compare its products with those from other brands which have more or less standardised these terms. While the seven-year warranty offered on the T60 and Mifa seems impressive, it still leaves owners unable to build a view of all but the Deliver 9’s total cost of ownership. 4/10If you want to find out more about a specific manufacturer's capped price servicing, please see below:

An upstart brand from China, GWM, or as it used to be known, Great Wall Motors, and its Haval SUV sub-brand have competitive ownership terms.Vehicles sold under the GWM Ute, Haval, or incoming Ora electric brand are all offered with a seven-year, unlimited kilometre warranty promise.This was increased in 2018 from a previous warranty offering of five years or 100,000km. GWM products are also currently covered by a five-year roadside assistance program.The Haval range is covered by a five-year fixed-price service program. For the Jolion this means visiting the shop once every 12 months or 15,000km (aside from the first service, which is due at 10,000km). The average cost for the five visits comes in at a very competitive $310 over this period.For the larger H6, servicing is required at the same intervals, but pricing varies depending on whether a front-wheel drive (FWD) or all-wheel drive (AWD) model is chosen. Pricing remains competitive for the five visits, which average $312 for the FWD variants or $352 for the AWDs per visit.The GWM Ute Cannon pick-up requires servicing more frequently than the Haval SUVs, with intervals set at 12 months or 10,000km, aside from the first service, which is required at six months or 5000km. Pricing is still competitive, averaging out to just $340 per visit for the duration of the program.In summary, GWM’s ownership and service price structure is designed to outperform its more mainstream rivals. The warranty terms are long, and its vehicles are among some of the cheapest to maintain, at least during the fixed period according to the on-paper figures - 8/10If you want to find out more about a specific manufacturer's capped price servicing, please see below:

Thanks to a more simplified range of variants and a more competitive luxury car environment which now puts a focus on inclusive service packs, Jaguar products are now more affordable to own.All cars and SUVs in Jaguar’s current line-up are covered by five-year service packs which are purchased separately from the car up to and including the date of the first service interval.Each pack has a set value, and also includes a matching five years of roadside assistance. This also matches the five-year and unlimited kilometre warranty.High-voltage battery components in electrified vehicles, meanwhile, are covered by a separate industry-standard eight-year and 160,000km warranty.Service intervals will vary depending on vehicle and usage. Like BMW models, Jaguars now have condition-based servicing, so the vehicle computer will inform you when it is time to service it.Buying an F-Type sports coupe or an I-Pace electric SUV includes five years of complimentary servicing.In summary: Jaguar’s simplified range and a more competitive premium car environment have resulted in a much more impressive ownership promise for a brand that was once known for being particularly expensive in this department. In the past few years it has improved out of sight. However, there are still question marks over the condition-based servicing or what happens when the first five years of included services run out. Some rival premium brands also have more comprehensive ownership packages - 7/10If you want to find out more about a specific manufacturer's capped price servicing, please see below:

Land Rover was once notorious for expensive servicing but since the introduction of all-inclusive service plans in a more competitive premium car market, things are significantly better.Servicing for Land Rover models is now purchased as a five-year plan, to be bundled in with the car, or purchased separately up until the time of the first service interval.Each plan comes with a matching five years of roadside assistance, and Land Rover models are now also covered by a five-year and unlimited kilometre warranty.Like its Jaguar sister brand, Land Rovers now have condition-based servicing, meaning the car’s computer will tell you when it is time to visit a workshop.The five-year plans are also competitively priced and cover either 102,000km worth of servicing or 130,000km of servicing depending on the drivetrain chosen.While the brand fields a large array of models, its increasingly simplified number of powertrains makes pricing of each program a bit more easy to understand. As a bonus for owners, servicing for all variants of the halo Range Rover for the first five years is complimentary.In summary: Land Rover fixed-service plans are well worth bundling in at the time of purchase and demonstrate vastly improved value over servicing as-you-go. However, some rival premium brands offer additional extras under their ownership programs so things could always be better - 7/10If you want to find out more about a specific manufacturer's capped price servicing, please see below: